The state's Department of Labor just came out with the latest economic portrait of the city and state. State and city unemployment held steady in July, at 8 and 8.7 percent respectively. Both figures were below the national average of 9.1 percent.

“The New York State economy added 14,100 private sector jobs in July 2011, continuing its recovery from the effects of the last recession,” said the state's labor stats chief Bohdan Wynnyk in a statement.

For both the city and state, a clump of sectors--educational & health, professional & business services, and leisure & hospitality--have led in job growth coming out of the recession. Government jobs and manufacturing have continued to see contraction across the state.

Even as job growth continues, the department's analysis of the city's job situation remained uncertain:

Despite strong over-the-year job growth and a generally positive July, the labor market remains mixed with five sectors adding jobs over the past year while four sectors plus government all lost jobs. This is a much more uneven picture than statewide where only manufacturing and government lost jobs over the year.

This, despite the fact the city's private sector growth rate of plus-2 percent outdid both the state and nation.

One area where the tentative recovery news is not being shared is in the African American community. Between July 2010 and June 2011 African Americans were the only tracked group who saw an increasing in unemployment, from 14.2 percent to 14.3 percent. That is more than double the unemployment rate for whites.

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